77: Chapter 77 Jump Engine

[...]

"What is the main medium for the anti-gravity warp engine and the rear space expansion engine?"

Chu Ge shouted, a bit angry.

[Dark matter.]

"Hey, I've found it, where am I supposed to get this stuff?"

[Is it not there? System database search: this substance is not rare in the universe; it is universally present!]

"Is that so? But why do I remember this stuff being a bit mysterious?"

Chu Ge wavered a bit. Maybe it really exists? Was he just ignorant?

[Please do not doubt the authenticity of the system database!]

Perhaps this guy remembered Chu Ge shouting at it, so its tone became a bit serious.

"Ah, haha, alright then, I'll go ask tomorrow!"

[...]

After sending away System Big Brother, a startled Chu Ge hurried back to check the material composition of the Nuclear Fusion Engine.

If some inexplicable thing appeared again, he would die from vomiting blood.

It would all be in vain, wouldn't it?

20 minutes later, fortunately, it was a false alarm. The Nuclear Fusion Engine was within his scope of knowledge, except for a few obscure materials that needed to be re-developed.

For example, the high-temperature alloy at the engine tail nozzle, a superalloy fusing iron-based, nickel-based, and cobalt-based materials. This high-temperature alloy material requires high durability, creep resistance, and fatigue strength even at extremely high temperatures.

The system data also provided detailed addition ratios for each base metal...

At the very least, these were within his capabilities.

Chu Ge carefully checked the material composition of all power systems again, and after confirming there were no omissions, he went to sleep.

It was already very late after all that tossing and turning. He didn't have time to copy and paste today, and besides, there was still a question that hadn't been resolved yet.

The next day, as soon as Chu Ge opened his eyes, he got dressed and rushed to Academician Chen's office.

He was in such a hurry that he even forgot to take care of his personal hygiene; he wasn't in the mood for that right now.

"Old Chen, Old Chen, I have a question I need to ask your advice on!"

Chu Ge saw the office door open and spoke directly before even walking in.

"Oh my, Little Chu, you startled me. Let me tell you, this old man can't handle being scared like that!"

Academician Chen said to Chu Ge solemnly.

"Uh, my mistake, I was a bit anxious!"

"Haha, it's alright, I was just joking with you. What's so urgent? Sit, sit."

Academician Chen pointed his finger at the sofa, signaling Chu Ge to sit down and talk.

"Do you know anything about dark matter? Are there any experts in that field at the Academy of Sciences?"

"Dark matter? I don't really know much about that, but you don't need to go to the Academy of Sciences to find out. We have someone here who understands it."

"Who?"

"Yan Tianhao, have you forgotten? He is a top student in astrophysics!"

"Damn, how did I forget about that? Alright, I'll go find him. Well, Old Chen, I'll be going then! Goodbye, Old Chen!"

After saying this, Chu Ge ran out the door.

"This child, why is he so rash today!"

Academician Chen smiled and shook his head.

After leaving Academician Chen's office, Chu Ge raised his hand to check the time—7:00 AM sharp. Just as he was about to take out his phone, Wang Yun walked towards him.

"Academician Chu, good morning!"

"Wang Yun, morning. Oh right, have you seen Yan Tianhao?"

"Yan Tianhao? We just had breakfast together. He should have gone to your office, right? You arranged it yesterday, did you forget?"

"Right, right. Okay, I'll head over there then. Wang Yun, goodbye."

Chu Ge greeted her and headed towards his office, moving like the wind.

When Chu Ge rushed back, Yan Tianhao was standing straight in front of his office door, like a utility pole.

"Tianhao, have you been waiting long?"

"No, Academician Chu. Here, I brought you some breakfast."

"Good, come in. I have something I want to ask you."

Chu Ge took the breakfast and set it aside; he was so anxious that he couldn't be bothered to eat.

"How much do you know about dark matter?"

Chu Ge got straight to the point.

"Dark matter? Hmm, it is a theoretically proposed substance that may exist in the universe but is invisible. It is very likely the main component of the universe, but it does not belong to any currently visible celestial bodies."

"Oh, also, astronomers have currently observed a large number of phenomena suspected of violating Newtonian gravity, but these phenomena can be well explained under the premise that dark matter exists."

Yan Tianhao carefully recalled for a moment, then spoke slowly.

"Theoretically? That is to say, this stuff is still an unknown territory, right?"

"Yes, it's all speculation. However, many countries have launched research on dark matter in recent years. I remember our country even launched a satellite specifically to verify whether some electronic cosmic rays come from dark matter. It seems there have been some results!"

Yan Tianhao added.

"Verification? What I need is not verification."

Chu Ge's eyes went blank. This, this was a bit ridiculous. After being dazed for a while, Chu Ge noticed Yan Tianhao waving at him.

"Tianhao, um, why don't you go report to Academician Huang's group today? As for specific work, I'll tell you once I'm done here! Go ahead."

"Alright, Academician Chu."

Yan Tianhao got up and left. Just before leaving, he turned around to look back. Chu Ge's eyes were a bit dazed, but he still waved at him.

After a long while,

"System Big Brother, you are not very reliable. Dark matter is still an unknown territory on Earth."

[The technology matched by the system is based on the technological foundation of your galaxy and is an entry-level version. Theoretically, this situation should not happen.]

"Should not happen? This isn't the first time. I think your brain is broken—oh, in your words, it's data corruption."

"Cut the crap, hurry up and give me the price for dark matter. I think you just want to extort more from me!"

Chu Ge said, rolling his eyes at himself in the mirror on the side.

[There is none.]

"No, none?"

After hearing System Big Brother's crisp and clear answer, it took Chu Ge half a minute to react.

[That is why I said this situation theoretically should not happen; something must have gone wrong somewhere!]

"Your CPU has gone wrong. I think you need to be formatted or run an antivirus scan."

"Really none? It's okay, I'm not afraid of it being expensive."

[There really isn't any.]

...

Half an hour later,

Chu Ge was tired. He had thought this Big Brother wanted to raise the price on the spot and was prepared to bleed money, but after pestering it for a long time—the two of them had been staring at each other for 10 minutes—System Big Brother insisted to death that it didn't have any.

This, it seemed there really wasn't any. Only a fool wouldn't take money when they could earn it. Chu Ge felt that System Big Brother was obviously smarter than him.

After all that fuss, he had to helplessly accept this cruel reality.

It's just that he didn't understand. The Military-Industrial System was obviously not some ordinary computer program. Data loss like this shouldn't happen, right?

System Big Brother's meaning was based on the technology of the galaxy where Earth is located—that would be the Solar System, right? The Solar System? Don't make me laugh. If we're talking about outside the Solar System, humans might not have ventured deep, he wouldn't dare to say anything about that.

We have been studying the Solar System for a long time. Chu Ge knows a thing or two about it. Apart from Earth, everything else is a mess, and not a single planet with signs of life has been found.

Except for Earth.

Chu Ge expressed deep skepticism about this statement from System Big Brother.